Valentine's Day Party: Beverages and Decorations

For special sparkling charm serve a chilled fruit punch or other fruit
drink as your party beverage. Refreshingly clear and colorful, party
punch is a big bowl at one end of the table which appeals to the eyes of
the guests even before they begin to sip it. Pineapple float is more of
a dessert-type beverage, just right as the feature attraction of a
hot-weather dessert party. Serve with your most delicious cookies or
small cakes.

To Decorate A Punch Bowl - Make construction paper hearts and secure
around edge of bowl with pieces of tape. Secure two pink carnations to
ladle handle the same way.

For Pink-Frosted Cups - Measure 1/2 cup sugar into a shallow pan. Tint
sugar the desired pink color by thoroughly mixing in, one drop at a
time, a mixture of red food coloring and water (equal amounts). Set
sugar aside to dry. When ready to serve punch, rub rim of each punch cup
with the cut surface of a lemon or lime. Dip each cup into tinted sugar.
Decorate each cup handle with a daisy secured with a piece of tape.
Place a decorative ice block in the punch bowl. pour punch into bowl.
Ladle punch into Pink-Frosted Cups.

NOTE: You can use Sweetheart roses or small chrysanthemums instead of
daisies.

For Decorative Ice Blocks - Fill a loaf pan or fancy mold one-third full
wit water. Place in freezing compartment of refrigerator; remove pan or
mold when water is partially frozen. Arrange flowers (roses, gardenias,
or other), or fruits (small whole, pieces or slices) over the ice. Fill
pan or mold with water, covering flowers or fruit, and freeze. Boiling
water before freezing or stirring as it freezes helps to make the ice
clear.

For Decorative Ice Cubes - Fill ice-cube tray one-third full with water.
Place in freezing compartment of refrigerator; remove ice cube tray when
water is partially frozen. Place well-drained maraschino cherry, mint
sprig, pineapple chunk, orange wedge, berry, or small piece of fruit and
a mint leaf in each cube section. Fill tray with water and freeze.

Sparkling Pineapple Float
6 servings

This refreshing pineapple float is doubly delicious because the beverage
and the ice are really "made for each other." Serve with crisp, tender
tea cookies or with your special dessert party menu.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups drained crushed pineapple - save syrup

2 cups water

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup cold water

2 or 3 drops mint extract

Ice Cubes

3 cups ginger ale

Mint sprigs

maraschino cherries

Directions:

Pineapple Syrup - Combine the crushed pineapple, 2 cups water and sugar
in a saucepan and set over low heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Cover, increase heat and bring to boiling. Boil syrup gently 5 min.
remove from heat.
Blend in the reserved pineapple syrup and lemon juice. Chill 1/2 cup of
the syrup mixture for pineapple ice. Chill remainder in refrigerator.

For pineapple ice - add the 1/2 cup chilled syrup mixture to the crushed
pineapple and 1/2 cup cold water and mint extract. pour into the
refrigerator tray. Freeze until firm, stirring two or three times.

To serve - Pour the chilled pineapple syrup into a pitcher containing
ice cubes and gently add and mix 3 cups ginger ale. Pour the beverage
into tall glasses, filling each about 2/3 full. Put a spoonful of
pineapple ice into each glass. Garnish with mint sprigs and Maraschino
cherries.

Sparkling Raspberry Float

Follow the directions above but omit the pineapple and mint extract.
Decrease sugar to 3/4 cup. Sieve about 3-1/2 cups thawed raspberries
and add to the sugar syrup with lemon juice. Use 1 cup of the raspberry
syrup mixture plus the cold water for the raspberry ice. Omit cherries
and use fresh raspberries or frozen thawed instead.

Holiday's Buffet Style

Party Punch

Ingredients:

1-1/2 qts ginger ale, chilled

5 cups double-strength tea

2-1/4 cups sugar

2-1/2 cups orange juice

1=1/2 cups unsweetened grapefruit juice

2/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup lime juice

Prepare your tea and let chill. When cool, add to it the sugar, orange
juice, grapefruit juice, lemon juice and lime juice. Stir until sugar
is dissolved. Cover punch and chill in refrigerator. When ready to
serve, add the chilled ginger ale. Stir to blend thoroughly.

Before the cool weather sets in, enjoy the bounty of your herb, flower and vegetable gardens by giving a Summer Harvest Tea Party. Plan your theme around the garden, invite friends and family. Don't make it a formal affair, but rather a way to celebrate everyone's gardens and share produce, flowers, seeds and advice.

Harvesting and Using Summer Squash

Summer squash is one of my favorite vegetables. I love the yellow summer squash in particular. They should be harvested while still tender, when they have a "glossy" appearance and are still small. You will most likely need to harvest daily once they start to appear.